Tanajib Sanctuary

Tanajib Sanctuary is a nature reserve for spiny-tailed lizards developed by Saudi Aramco. It is located in the Tanajib area, north of the eastern coast of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It hosts types of animals and plants as the climatic and environmental conditions of the desert, in addition to the rich diversity of plant and animal species in that area, form an ideal incubator for many of these species, including the spiny-tailed lizards known as Dabb.

Since the start of its operations, Saudi Aramco has placed environmental protection at the top of its objectives. Therefore, an Environmental Protection Department was established to preserve biodiversity, particularly since the Kingdom is home to numerous plants and animals, including spiny-tailed lizards. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature assessment, this lizard is considered an endangered animal, as this was also mentioned in Annex II of the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. Furthermore, the number of spiny-tailed lizards is decreasing due to the loss of their natural habitats as a result of industrial development and other types of development, in addition to road accidents and poaching.

Within the company's environmental efforts, Marjan Increment Program and Safaniya Onshore Production Department in Saudi Aramco cooperated to protect endangered spiny-tailed lizards. This cooperation occurred simultaneously with the launch of mega projects, as heavy equipment was being transferred into the area. While transporting heavy industrial equipment, spiny-tailed lizards usually run to hide in their burrows and may end up trapping themselves, thus facing death when thinking they are safe. The objectives of the protection initiative were based on capturing a limited number of lizards, then releasing them inside the sanctuary, and following up on them during the following years, while exerting continuous efforts to develop the program.

The environmentally diverse Tanajib area was an ideal choice for implementing the program. It is a protected and pre-fenced area, located near Tanajib residential complex, thus the perfect place to implement the project. Twenty-three lizards were collected and transferred to their new home. This area is protected from the effects of urbanization, with no camels or sheep, in order to maintain strong vegetation within its fenced borders. In a proactive step to prepare for the transfer of spiny-tailed lizards, temporary burrows were dug, and microchip tracking tags were placed on all lizards for future monitoring. Several cameras were also installed within Tanajib Sanctuary to watch and observe spiny-tailed lizards from afar.

The Safaniya Onshore Production Department is working to fulfill its environmental commitments. It acts as a producer of environmentally friendly hydrocarbons and as a responsible neighbor in the adjacent residential areas. The joint efforts between the Safaniya Onshore Oil Field Production Department and Marjan Increment Project Department (MIPD) set an example of environmental stewardship of endangered natural species. Moreover, environmental supervision efforts identified five other mammal species and six more species of lizards in the area. It also introduced a deeper insight into the spiny-tailed lizards that live in the Tanajib area, where efforts persist to transfer and monitor these animals, in addition to studying their characteristics to prevent their extinction.